This relates generally to communications services, and more particularly, to adjusting which services and communications are used in response to changes in the operating environment of an electronic device.
Electronic devices such as cellular telephones and portable computers are often used in a variety of environments. For example, a user may sometimes use a cellular telephone in a location that is within range of a high quality local wireless link. At other times, the user may use the cellular telephone in a location where the local wireless link is not available. In some situations, a user may be in the vicinity of additional equipment, whereas this equipment may not be present in other situations. As a user interacts with an electronic device, the user launches a variety of applications. For example, a user may use a video playback function. Communications services and other network-based services may be used.
In a complex operating environment such as this, it can be difficult to manage a user's services and communications. For example, a user may find it difficult or impossible to continually choose appropriate communications channels in response to increases and decreases in the availability of certain communications capabilities and in response to varying operating requirements. A user may also find it challenging to form communications links with available nearby or remote equipment. For example, it may be difficult to use hardware in the vicinity of a user and it may be difficult to share content with different devices. The desire to optimize a user's communications scheme and to adjust which types of services are being provided to a user can be further complicated by the wide variety of factors that can influence these decisions. For example, the communications scheme and type of services that are running on a user's device may be influenced by available communications capabilities, security requirements, location, service-based communications link requirements, and other factors.
It would therefore be desirable to provide improved ways in which to customize communications links and services in response to monitored changes in the operating environment of an electronic device.